Doctors Make the Worst Patients
by Bn541
Summary: After a bad fall, Hank learns what it feels like to be a patient. HANK WHUMPAGE. Featuring Hank, Evan, Divya - Please R
1. Chapter 1

Hank wasn't sure how long it'd been. All he knew was that he was soaked through and that his injury was not getting any better. He tried his cell phone again. Nothing.

===3 HOURS EARLIER===

Evan stood looking out the window. The morning sky was blue but the wind was powerful. He could feel the storm moving in.

"I'm going for a run," Hank said as he bounded down the stairs.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? The weatherman said that this storm coming in is going to be pretty bad."

"I'll be fine. I don't plan on going that far and besides, the sky is blue. I'm sure I have time before things really get bad."

"Ok, just be careful."

"Evan, this brotherly concern. It's touching." 

"Oh relax Henry. I just need you to be careful because without you, there is no HankMed and I have no job."

Hank rolled his eyes as he went out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer**The author of this fan fiction does not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).

* * *

It was only sprinkling by the time Hank reached the fork in the trail but he decided to turn around just to be safe. If this storm was even half as bad as Evan kept saying it was going to be, then it was going to be pretty awful and he certainly didn't want to get caught in the middle of it.

* * *

"Hank?" Divya called as she entered the enormous guest house. "Hank!" She called again.

"Whoa there Divs," said Evan as he entered the room.

"Where's Hank?" asked Divya.

"He went out for a run."

"In this weather?"

"I know, I tried to tell him. What can I say? He never listens to me…"

"Evan! Focus. We have a patient. I was going to get Hank to help, but since he is currently out, you'll have to do."

"Great! I love meeting patients. I can show off my new brochures."

Divya rolled her eyes as they headed to the car.

* * *

Hank was glad he had turned around. As he had run the last mile the rain had gotten progressively worse. Now, it was so bad that he could barely see five feet in front of him.

'When I get back to the start of the trail, I'll have Evan come and drive me the last mile home. He'll enjoy gloating,' Hank thought to himself.

Suddenly a burst of lightning flashed, immediately followed by the loudest thunderclap Hank had ever heard. He picked up his pace hoping to finish faster.

All of a sudden, something small and furry darted in his path. The movement distracted him. He tripped over a tree root and landed hard on a pile of rocks.

* * *

"Must you always pester the patients so much? They don't want a forty minute presentation. They just want to be cured!" Divya insisted as they drove home from the appointment.

"My methods earn us the money! Money is a pretty important part in any business. Ask anybody. I'm sure they'll agree."

"Yes well I'm sure Hank agrees with me. Harassing the patients is not helpful."

"Well why don't we ask him," Evan said as they pulled into the driveway.

They darted inside to avoid getting soaked.

"Hank!" called Evan. "Hank! Hank? He should be home by now," Evan said, slightly worried by his brothers absence.

"Why don't you try his cell phone," Divya suggested.

Evan dialed as Divya unpacked the medical supplies from the morning's appointment.

"Nothing," said Evan. "It went straight to voicemail."

"Hank's on call. He always has his phone on."

"I know."


	3. Chapter 3

** The author of this fan fiction does not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).

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Hank groaned as he tried to sit up and was immediately overcome with pain. His chest burned and his ankle throbbed. As he started to catch his breath, his medical training kicked in. He began to catalogue his injuries.

"Twisted ankle, probably sprained." He said aloud as he stared at his, already swollen ankle. He moved on to his next injury. He had never felt so much pain in his chest. Every time he took a breath he was met with dizzying pain. As he carefully peeled up his shirt, he was met with an ugly sight. On his right side, bruises were already forming. "Potentially broken ribs," he announced through gritted teeth. He placed his finger on the injury, hoping to confirm his hypothesis. He immediately withdrew it, however, as even the slightest touch hurt so much it was all he could do to keep from blacking out.

He closed his eyes. He knew he was in a bad situation.

'I need to call Evan,' he thought. He scanned the surrounding area for his cell phone. The silver finally caught his eye. The phone was sitting, submerged in the water of one of the many growing puddles on the path. Hank grabbed the phone out of the water. "Please work," he begged as tried to turn the wet phone on. Nothing. Hank cursed aloud.

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Evan's windshield wipers were on as fast as they could go. The rain was coming down in sheets and it was hard to see. Nevertheless, Evan was driving extremely fast. He didn't know where Hank had gone running, but he remembered Hank enjoyed a trail just off the beach a few miles down from where they were staying. He figured it was a good place to start. Divya was in the house in case Hank came back there.

Evan didn't know how to explain it, but he knew something was wrong.

It reminded him of the time he broke his arm. He was little, maybe seven or eight when he fell off the jungle gym at a park near their home and landed right on his arm. He remembered hearing the snap and feeling the pain. All of a sudden Hank was there. He dialed 911 and rode with Evan to the hospital. Their father arrived later.

He remembered asking Hank about it a couple years later.

"All of a sudden, I got this feeling and I just knew something was wrong," Hank had said. "I went outside and was on my way to the park when I heard your screams. Then I ran. I don't know how to explain it, but I just knew you needed help and I had to get there."

That was how Evan felt now.


	4. Chapter 4

Hank was in a bad situation. He was soaking wet, badly injured, and several miles from home. He pressed the button on the phone again, hoping it would suddenly turn on and that perhaps the last half hour of pushing it might not have been in vain. No such luck.

"I really should have listened to Evan," he said to himself. "Wow. I never thought I would hear those words come out of my mouth."

He knew that things were only going to go from bad to worse if he stayed there. The wind was picking up and the rain had yet to relent. The rain/wind combination had rendered him freezing. His breaths had gradually become shallower as the pain in his side became increasingly unbearable.

If he were one of his own patients, he would advise against moving with potentially broken ribs and an injured ankle. Given the situation, however, he needed to face reality. The storm was just getting started and no help was coming. It was up to him to get home.

He took off his soaked shirt and his right shoe. These tasks were made extremely difficult by the fact that even the slightest movement sent waves of pain ripping through his side. However, he was eventually able to wrap his shirt around his ankle in what was the best makeshift bandage he could supply given the circumstances.

He braced himself against a tree trunk as he attempted to move into a standing position. The first time he fell. Tears wetted his eyes as he caught his breath and tried again. Eventually, with most of his weight against a tree, he was able to move into a standing position.

He started to limp down the path. His ankle killed every time he put weight on it despite his makeshift bandage. It was still pouring and he was covered in goose bumps. His jaw was starting to hurt because his teeth had been chattering for the past hour.

He closed his eyes. 'I just need to get home.' He thought.

He continued down the path. Getting home to Evan and a hot shower were the only things keeping him going.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Evan jumped out of the car and started down the path. The rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was awful. Leaves and tree branches were flying throughout the air. He could hardly see where he was going, but that didn't stop him. He ran down the path.

"HANK," he yelled, trying to make his voice heard over the storm. "HANK," he tried again. He kept running and kept shouting, but he realized his efforts were probably in vain; he had no idea where Hank actually was. All he was going off of was his brotherly intuition.

He slowed down. He was out of breath. 'Maybe next time Hank goes for a run, I'll actually go with him,' Evan thought. 'I need to get in shape.'

Evan was more than out of breath though, he was losing hope. He was about to turn around when some movement caught his eye. He squinted, trying to make out what it was. It seemed tall like a human, but it was not moving as one typically would. As it moved closer, he was finally able to tell what it was.

"Hank!"

Evan ran toward his brother. Hank was injured, and by the looks of it, badly. It didn't take a doctor to deduce that. His shirtless torso was covered in a nasty bruise along with several mean looking lacerations. His shirt was wrapped around his ankle. He clearly had injured that as well which would explain why he appeared to have been hopping down the path.

"What happened?" Evan asked.

"I fell," Hank said between short breaths.

"Are you okay?" Hank gave his brother a look. "Right stupid question. Let's get you to the car. We're close."

Carefully, Evan slid under Hanks arm, holding him up. As the movement jostled his ribs, Hank groaned in pain. Evan looked at Hank worriedly.

Hank sensed his brother's concern. "It's all right," he said between gritted teeth, "let's just get to the car."

Slowly and carefully, the pair made their way to the vehicle.

"Dude, where is your phone? You could have called."

"puddle," was all Hank could make out.

Evan realized his brother was fading and picked up their pace. Evan essentially carried Hank the rest of the way to the car. As he got Hank carefully settled in the passenger's seat, he dialed Divya.

"Divya, I found him. He's hurt, badly. He has bruises and cuts on his chest and it looks like his ankle is hurt too."

"What happened?"

"He said he fell."

"Okay, bring him back here. I'll take a look. The hospital is always overwhelmed when there is a storm, so we are going to try and avoid it if we can. I'll set everything up here."

"Thanks." Evan said.

"Evan. He's going to be alright. Now hurry."

Evan hung up, jumped in the car, cranked the heat, and floored it back to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Divya's phone rang. The caller ID showed Hampton's Heritage.

"Hello," Divya answered.

"Divya. Hi, it's Jill."

"Hi. What can I do for you?" Divya asked keeping one eye on the driveway waiting for Evan to return with Hank.

"I was hoping you might be able to help me out. There have been an overwhelming amount of accidents today because of this crazy weather. We are completely swamped at the hospital. I was wondering if I might be able to direct some of the more mobile cases to HankMed. I tried Hank's phone but he didn't pick up. I was hoping you might know where he is. We could really use some extra sets of hands."

"Actually there's been a bit of an accident over here. Hank fell on a run and injured himself. Evan just found him along a path. From what I've been told, he's going to be alright, but I don't think he'll be up to taking cases for a little while."

"Oh my gosh, that's awful. I'm glad to hear he's alright…well probably alright."

"Evan's driving him home now. I'm going to do a full exam as soon as they get back and then I'll have more information."

"Yeah, please keep me posted as much as you can. I'll try and stop by later if I can."

Divya heard the sound of wet tires flying over gravel.

"I think they're back. I've got to go." Divya hung up the phone and ran out to meet her soaking co-workers.


	6. Chapter 6

Evan screeched to a halt on the driveway in front of the guest house. He could barely see Divya through the rain as she ran out to meet them. He jumped out of the passenger's side.

"Divya! He's hurt. He can't take full breaths and he's shivering really badly."

"Evan calm down. Right now I need you to help me bring him inside."

Evan nodded and they walked to the passenger's side of the car. It was there that Divya got her first glimpse of Hank. Evan had not been exaggerating - Hank looked bad. He was wet and shivering. His body was pale except for where it was marked by dark bruising and lacerations. He was barely conscious. It took Divya a moment to compose herself after seeing her friend's condition.

"Divya!" Evan said snapping her out of her trance, "What do we do?"

Divya let her medicinal instincts take over. "His side is badly injured. We need to try and keep it stabilized as we carry him inside."

Together the pair was able to lift the injured doctor out of the car. Divya helped support Hank's ribs as Evan carried him into the house. Despite their efforts, the movement caused Hank a great deal of pain. He gritted his teeth as he slid closer and closer to unconsciousness.

Once inside, they laid him out.

"Evan," Divya instructed, "Hank needs warm, dry clothes."

Evan ran off to get Hank some clothes and Divya began her exam. She cleaned his lacerations, wrapped his ankle and took his temperature. Evan returned with clean sweats for Hank.

"Ok. I need your help putting these on him and getting him comfortable. We need to get his body temperature back to normal. After that I'm going to take x-rays of his chest and his ankle."

"What do you think is wrong?"

"It's impossible to say just by looking, but if I had to guess I would say he has at least two broken ribs. His ankle is very swollen so there is a chance that that may be fractured as well. He has a bit of a fever which is also concerning. Given the amount of time he was exposed to the harsh weather, there is a chance of infection or pneumonia."

Hearing the awful possibilities of Hank's situation caused Evan's face to go pale.

"Is he going to be alright? Should we take him to the hospital?" Evan asked with a whisper.

"Assuming I'm correct he should recover better here than at the hospital. Jill said the hospital was overwhelmingly swamped. Right now, however, we need to focus on getting him warm. I'm going to go set up the x-ray machine. Do you think you can get Hank in warm clothes?"

"Yes," Evan said, happy to have a task that could help his brother. He was careful of Hank's ankle as he helped Hank into his sweatpants. Getting the sweatshirt zipped around Hank's ribs was a different story. Even the slightest jostling of Hank's torso caused him to clench his teeth in agony. Evan hated to see his brother in this much pain.

Divya returned. "Alright, let's get him x-rayed. Then we'll be able to get him feeling better." Divya said, sensing Evan needed reassuring.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Divya looked at the x-rays. Her hypotheses had been correct; Hank had two broken ribs and one of the worst ankle sprains she had ever seen.

The worst part of it was there was not a whole lot she could do. No matter how much pain medication was prescribed, the best cure for injured ribs was rest and immobility -something the normally energetic doctor would find difficult.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Hank awoke, he felt odd. His head felt heavy and his body, tired. He instinctively went to sit up and was immediately overcome with pain.

"Whoa there brother," Evan said as he helped Hank lie back down in the bed. "Good to see you are awake."

"How long have I been out?"

"You've been sleeping pretty solidly for the past 18 hours."

"Whoa. Evan. What happened to me?"

"It seems you took a nasty spill while you were running, If you remember I told you it was going to storm and perhaps an afternoon jog was not your best idea but since you never listen to me I had to go out and rescue you…

As Evan rambled on Hank was able to pull the memories of the afternoon's events out of the heavily-medicated haze he seemed to be currently under. He remembered Evan's warning and the jog and the fall and the miserable hobble and then, Evan. "How did you find me? My cell phone was in a puddle."

"I still think it's kind of a miracle that I found you, but I'm glad I did. You weren't doing so hot when I found you."

"Hmm, yeah," Hank said.

There was a moment of silence.

"Hey Ev," Hank said.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Evan smiled.

The brotherly moment was interrupted as Divya entered.

"Well you are certainly not out of the woods yet."

"What's the prognosis?" Hank asked.

"Two broken ribs, a severely sprained ankle, numerous lacerations, the list goes on and on. You did quite a job on yourself. You were exposed to the cold for quite a while which worries me, plus you inability to take full breaths increases your chances of-

"Pneumonia" the two doctors said at the same time.

"Exactly." Divya said. I will be monitoring you vitals to watch for infection, and you know it is important to inhale as deeply as you can at least once an hour.

"Right, I know"

"Right."

"Assuming all goes well, you should make a full recovery."

"That's good to hear," said Hank.

"In due time," said Evan.

"Yes. Right now you need plenty of rest." Divya said as she got up. She and Evan went to exit.

"Wait, don't go yet." Hank said. "Come on, I just woke up!"

"Sleep Hank," Evan said as he and Divya walked down the hall.

"Guys!" Hank called after them.

Divya sighed. "You know what they say. Doctor's make the worst patients."


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Good Morning!" Evan said bursting into the room, tray in hand.

Hank's eyes fluttered open. Three weeks had passed since the incident, but he could still feel the marks of his fall.

"I made pancakes and bacon and look, there's even orange juice! Freshly squeezed. Okay not really - it's Tropicana, but I've always wanted to say 'freshly squeezed'," Evan rambled on.

Hank smiled. These past few weeks had been hard. His ankle limited his mobility and the broken ribs ruled out any possibility of crutches. He knew he hadn't been the easiest patient, but Evan and Divya had been there every step of the way.

"So how are you doing?" Evan asked.

"Really good," said Hank. "Hopefully I'll pass inspection and finally get out of this house!"

"Well that's up to Divya. You know she's not going to let you move until she's sure you're okay."

"I'm beginning to think that may never happen."

"Henry, you took a nasty fall resulting in broken ribs and an injured ankle. What did you think, you were just going to get up and return to work the next morning?"

"No," Hank insisted, "but I've been feeling really good this week. I looked at the x-rays and everything seems to be healing quite well."

"I'll be the judge of that," Divya said as she entered the room. She had gotten used to meeting the brothers in Hank's makeshift "office" each morning. She sat down in a chair next to the bed and updated the duo on the current cases she was handling.

Despite the temporary lost of it's namesake, HankMed had been keeping up a steady stream of clients during the past weeks. Evan had continued managing HankMed's financial side and Hank had even been able to Skype in for a few consultations.

"Brian asked about you when I went in for his check-up," Divya said.

"Oh yeah? How's my favorite eight year old doing?"

"I'm pleased to report, quiet well."

"Well that's good."

"Now let's see how you're doing," Divya said standing up. She did the usual tests, checking his vitals and his injuries. "You certainly look a lot better. Do you think you can get downstairs without Evan?"

"Yes," said Hank.

He got out of bed, slower than he normally would, but quicker than he had the past couple of days. He made his way down the hall. He paused at the top, before making his way down. His ankle was sore, and if he jostled his ribs the wrong way they hurt, but he was able to make it without any overwhelming pain.

When he made it to the bottom, Evan clapped. Divya gave Hank one last once over before making her final judgement.

"Well, I don't think you'll be running marathons anytime soon, and you'll have to take it easy, but you seem to be well enough to return to work."

Hank smiled and Evan high-fived him.

Right on cue, the phone rang.

"HankMed, how can we make you feel better today?" Evan answered. "Uhh-huh, yup, okay, text the address to this number. We'll see you soon." He hung up. "We have a case."

Hank smiled, elated to finally be returning to his normal routine.

"Let's go," he said, heading to the car. It was sunny out, but there were storm clouds on the horizon and a strong wind was blowing.

Hank shivered, remembering the similar weather three weeks ago.

'From now on, I'm always going to take Evan's advice,' Hank thought looking up at the menacing clouds.

Just then, Evan tripped on a pebble and fell flat on his face.

Hank chuckled. Then again, maybe not.


End file.
